Florida boy catches 5'9" alligator while fishing

Thursday

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A Florida boy caught a 5'9" alligator while fishing with friends and managed to drag the beast back home, local news station WKMG reported Thursday.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A Florida boy caught a 5'9" alligator while fishing with friends and managed to drag the beast back home, local news station WKMG reported Thursday.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers confirmed that the boy captured the alligator while fishing at a canal near his home in Rockledge, Fla., 52 miles east of Orlando.

Michael Dasher, 10, told WKMG that he was fishing with friends when he hooked the monster. "The line snapped," Michael said, adding that the alligator ran toward him, so he attacked it with sticks before jumping on its back.

He managed to subdue the animal and drag it back to his home, escaping with only scratches to his hands and arms.

Michael's grandfather Benjie Cox called police and wildlife officers when he saw what his grandson brought home.

Wildlife officers said they planned to release the alligator back into the wild, according to myFOXorlando.com.